Have a Safe and
Happy Summer!

Dear St. Philip’s Families,
 
Summer break is here! And what a different summer it will be! A walk in the park or a bicycle ride has never been more meaningful. For the children, a day without looking at screens has never been more precious. No mandatory “Hanging out” via Google. No Zooming. Most of them are moving to days with unscheduled blocks of time—and whether you realize it or not, they need a break just as much as you do. You, along with our faculty and staff, worked in tandem for the last 10 weeks to ensure that our students continued to learn. You, and many of our teachers, worked as educators, chefs, housekeepers, bankers, instacart representatives, and in-house barbers. And you did it all without missing a beat. However you did it, it was the right way. There was no road map for what we are experiencing and no pre-existing scale to measure success. Although personally, I certainly could have unplugged a bit more than I did and exchanged my laptop for a movie night with my boys. In light of that, I am going to give myself a B- (minus) with the promise to do better going forward.

Nothing would be more rewarding at this time than a sense of normalcy—returning to what we know. In a typical year, educators would spend this time celebrating the academic and social progress that each of our students has made. I believe it is safe to say that this year, their social progress and emotional well-being are paramount. This year, they outweigh the academic progress. At the end of this most unusual school year, we are looking for steady signs of improvement in other ways. Our students continue to demonstrate respect, compassion, and empathy for others while remaining intellectually curious and determined learners. St.Philip’s students continue to ask how they may be of service to others despite experiencing the challenges of a global pandemic. This resiliency is invaluable. 

Report cards will be available in My BackPack on Wednesday, June 3rd. You will notice detailed comments and skills checklists or pass/fail distinctions, where applicable. Please check your email regularly during the summer months. In preparation for the need to move to remote instruction, we will be sending out a survey asking for your feedback regarding this semester’s remote learning plan.  

While we plan to follow our published 2020 - 2021 School Calendar, we may make modifications to it over the summer as we receive information regarding the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff. Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control are constantly evolving. Our Return-to-School Task Force is continuing to monitor those recommendations, as well as local, state, federal, and Diocesan mandates. Our 2020 - 2021 Re-entry Plan is available on our website, along with our COVID-19 updates. Direct links to the above-mentioned items are listed below. 
Although summer is upon us, spring has yet to run its course. And it is during the spring when plans begin to unfold for the upcoming year. There are several personnel changes of which I want to make you aware.

  • Our Interim Assistant Head of School, Orlando Greene, wore many hats in his first year. Next year, in addition to teaching 5th Grade Social Studies, he will begin his stint as our Assistant Head of School for Academics & Advancement. Mr. Greene holds Master's Degrees in both Educational Leadership and Counseling and Mental Health Services from the University of Pennsylvania. His undergraduate studies in Spanish and Political Science provided the opportunity to study abroad at Universidad de Chile, Católica, and separately at Universidad de Chile. He is looking forward to next school year.

  • La Verne Boese has a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and six years of experience in the early childhood classroom. She has served as the 2nd Grade teacher at St. Philip's for eight years. She will now masterfully split her time between 2nd Grade and Early Childhood as the Director of Early Childhood & 2nd Grade Teacher.

  • Lynette Fernandez will join Molly Nuell as a 3rd Grade Teacher. Ms. Fernandez has a Master’s Degree in Reading and taught 2nd Grade and 3rd Grade before coming to St. Philip’s in 2018 to teach our youngest learners. She is excited about this new opportunity to work with older children.

  • Nancy Famulari is thrilled to return to Kindergarten full-time. (She will continue to teach Science to this class as well.) This will be her 9th year at St. Philip’s and we are blessed to have her back in Kindergarten full time. She and her green thumb will continue to oversee the garden! The interviewing process for a second Kindergarten teacher to join Mrs. Famulari has begun. 

  • Travis Cooper will join Nicole de la Fuente full time in 4th Grade. Next year will be Mr. Cooper’s 15th year at St. Philip’s. During his tenure, he has taught 3rd Grade and 4th Grade, directed After Care, assisted with the Annual Fund and worked in Alumni Relations. During his previous stint in 4th Grade, he was instrumental in rewriting the curriculum. Mr. Cooper is looking forward to moving up to 4th Grade with the 3rd Grade students he taught this year.

  • Our 3rd - 5th Grade Science Teacher, Mayra Jaimes, will expand her reach. She will now serve as the Lower School Science Teacher (Grades 1 – 5). Ms. Jaimes has a Biology degree and is finishing her first year at St. Philip’s with a bang! She and Nancy Famulari will assist the Pre-kindergarten teachers and her Kindergarten counterpart with preparing their Science lessons.

  • Gina Bruce is leaving St. Philip’s to spend more time with her family and to represent her family’s foundation. We thank her for the two years she spent as a part-time 4th Grade Teacher.

  • After seven years of teaching Kindergarten at St. Philip’s Episcopal School, Christina Fanuele has decided to pursue other opportunities. We are grateful to Mrs. Fanuele for her service to the St. Philip’s community and we wish her the best in her future endeavors.

  • Our Violin Assistant, Ariele Macadangdang, will leave St. Philip’s after four years. We wish her well as she lends her songwriting and additional musical talents to professional endeavors. 

While these changes have occurred during the spring, it is not unusual for schools to have personnel changes during the summer. In my August Back-to-School letter, I will notify you of any additional movement.

Next week, we encourage you to access the “Summer and New Family Information” section of our website. It will include summer reading lists for students and a few recommendations from me for our parents. There is no better incentive for our students to want to read, than watching you do the same. The St. Philip’s 2020 - 2021 Family Handbook will also be linked on this webpage. We are in the process of updating the Handbook based on possible procedural shifts to the instructional day. A link to the final version will be posted in the coming months. Your signature on your student(s) enrollment contract(s) acknowledges that you have reviewed the Handbook. Please review the updated version over the summer.

It is my hope that I will see you around campus on Tuesday, August 18th for introductory parent/teacher conferences. This is a new addition to our school calendar and will give teachers and parents an opportunity to visit and learn about students before the year officially begins. The first day of instruction is scheduled for Wednesday, August 19th. Please save both dates.

This year has been quite the expedition. I want to thank you as you have ridden along on this unprecedented journey. This year, maybe more than any other, we have learned that there are many things we cannot control. I need not name them here. We all have a running list--of that I am sure. Some days the ride has been bumpy, and some days it has been smooth. But through it all, whether remotely or in person, St. Philip’s has been the glue that kept us together. I am grateful for our strength and sense of community. It is what will get us to the other side. As always,  I am available  to answer any questions you may have.

I am off to celebrate the awesome and resilient St. Philip’s Class of 2020! Join me in wishing them well and in praying for God to keep them covered, and to guide them on their way. Stay safe...and have a happy and healthy summer!

In service,





Jasmine B. Harris, EdD
Head of School
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